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Baz Luhrmann’s EPiC Brings Newly Unearthed Elvis Performances to IMAX on Feb. 20

Luhrmann builds a nontraditional 'tone poem' that lets Presley tell his story using newly discovered recordings of his own voice.

Overview

  • Researchers uncovered 69 boxes holding 59 hours of early-1970s Elvis concert and candid footage in Warner Bros.’ Kansas salt-mine archives, largely outtakes from Elvis: That’s the Way It Is (1970) and Elvis on Tour (1972).
  • EPiC opens in IMAX on Feb. 20 ahead of a wider theatrical release on Feb. 27, with preview screenings already taking place in cities including Sydney and Las Vegas.
  • A previously unheard roughly 45-minute 1972 interview, alongside other rare recordings, provides the basis for Presley to narrate the film in his own voice.
  • Restoration and synchronization combined delicate digital transfers, work by Peter Jackson’s New Zealand team, RCA multitrack tapes, and lip-reading to match silent footage, with the filmmakers emphasizing that no AI was used.
  • The finished work adopts a non-linear, performance-forward structure focused on Presley’s early-1970s live peak rather than late-1977 material.